In Superman: The Animated Series, fans were treated to one of the most chaotic and compelling villain team-ups in DC history with Lex Luthor and the Joker. The 1997 three-part crossover “World’s Finest” kicked things off in Gotham, where Joker steals a statue made of Kryptonite and offers Luthor a deadly bargain: for the right price, he’ll kill Superman.
The arc also brought Batman and Superman together in a legendary face-off turned team-up, but it laid the foundation for the Justice League animated series. Now, in the upcoming live-action DCU, Nicholas Hoult, who’s stepping into the shoes of Lex Luthor, seems very interested in rekindling that infamous alliance.
During a recent press stop with CB, Hoult opened up about the potential of a Lex-Joker partnership on the big screen.
“One of the comics I read there was a linkup between Lex and Joker, the combination of those two together was really fun to read… so perhaps if we are lucky and get to keep making movies, that’s something I would like to see.”
He added:
“The combination of those two together was really fun to read, so perhaps if we are lucky and get to keep making movies, that’s something I’d like to see.”
It’s not hard to see why the idea is appealing. Lex brings cold intellect and corporate menace. Joker brings chaos and unfiltered madness. Together, they could be a dangerous, unpredictable duo of chaos, especially in James Gunn’s new DC Universe, which is already leaning into unique, character-driven storytelling with Superman set to kick it off in 2025.
Whether this potential villain alliance actually makes it to the screen remains to be seen, but it would be fun to see! Now the real question is… who will end up playing Joker in this world?
